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Purveyor of subversive party pieces Christopher Esber has had a huge couple of weeks. The revered Australian designer who cemented interesting and intricately deconstructed wares into hot spots in Sydney—and then the world—realised a dream of many homegrown stars at the end of last month: showing on schedule at Paris Fashion Week.
It is fitting then for Esber—warm, humble and always kind—to win this year’s Designer Of The Year category at the 2023 Australian Fashion Laureate, an awards ceremony which champions outstanding accomplishments for the industry.
Interestingly, Esber last won a Laureate prize in 2011 in the Emerging Designer Of The Year category (a gong that went to Alix Higgins this year). Since, Esber worked hard and deftly made the international expansion of his company a priority with a key stepping stone seeing him join the Net-A-Porter roster in 2020—give or take a few famous women spotted in the brand. Read: Emily Ratajkowski, Dua Lipa Zendaya and Hailey Bieber. But those famed fluid silhouettes—dissected, draped, and reconstructed—were elevated again in Paris a couple of weeks ago, a new height which saw the Laureate crowd raucously applauding and cheering inside the Sydney Opera House on October 12.
Ahead, we caught five minutes with Esber to chat about his win, the journey into Paris, and… what’s next. Because with this man, there’s always more.
GRAZIA: Congratulations are in order for a multitude of reasons. But let’s start with the Australian Fashion Laureate—today’s win is a nice way to cap off a very big couple of weeks, yes? How does it feel?
CHRISTOPHER ESBER: Thank you… this era of the brand right now, we are building to new milestones. So, it feels symbolic, introspective. Creating feeling in clothes and offering the CE woman something she is powerful in and can adopt into her life with individuality, continues to inspire me.
GRAZIA: When you look at your journey into showing at PFW, what does the support of the Australian industry mean to you?
CE: Living in Sydney impacts my design process, so it is personal. We are still a small community and most of us are friends… been on the journey for years. It’s important to have that anchor of encouragement from where you come from.
GRAZIA: We have spoken about how you personally ran a garment—on a bike and on foot—across Paris for Emily Ratajkowski. When you look back at that moment, and then think about how you have just shown on schedule in Paris, I can imagine that would feel a little surreal?
CE: Yes, I remember it, and I would do it again [laughs]. Surreal is the word to capture the whole experience.
GRAZIA: Last time we spoke, you said you and your team are looking at different categories and at how you can build up the world that surrounds the Esber woman. Is this still on the cards?
CE: The goal has always been to evolve our global presence, whilst staying true to the brand values and DNA. Earlier this year we created a bridal capsule for Net-A-Porter which our customers really connected with. For Resort 2024, we will launch eyewear for the first time—there are three shapes which push the possibilities of the brand’s aesthetic and perceptions of wear. In the runway collection, I had a strong desire to introduce new leather goods shapes from totes to a stone shaped sculptural leather bag. It’s exciting to develop the ideas through distinctive forms and offer them as new extensions within the Esber universe.
Some more highlights from Paris below. You can read the full show report here.
